Sharjah city tour

The stops and how long you spend at each

The full day runs from 9:00 to about 18:00, Saturday to Thursday. Most stops sit within 3 km of each other between the Corniche and Khalid Lagoon. Drive times are without traffic, from OpenStreetMap routing.

Stop	Area	Time at the stop	Drive from the stop before
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization	Corniche, Al Majarrah	1 h 15 min	26 km from Downtown Dubai, 30 min
Heart of Sharjah	Al Shuwaihen and Al Mareija	1 h 30 min on foot	1.3 km, 3 min
Central Souq	King Faisal Road	45 min	2 km, 4 min
Lunch	Al Majaz Waterfront	about 1 h	2.5 km, 5 min
Al Noor Mosque	Buhaira Corniche	30 min	2.5 km, 5 min
Al Noor Island	Khalid Lagoon	1 h 15 min	across the water from the mosque
Sharjah Aquarium	Al Khan	45 min	6 km, 11 min
Back to Dubai	Downtown Dubai		23 km, 26 min

The chauffeur drops you at each stop and waits nearby while you walk between the fort and the museums.

Half day or full day

The half day runs from 9:00 to about 13:45. It covers the Museum of Islamic Civilization, the Heart of Sharjah and the Central Souq, then drives you back. Those three sit within 3 km of each other along the Corniche.

The full day adds lunch on Al Majaz Waterfront and the afternoon around Khalid Lagoon: Al Noor Mosque, Al Noor Island and Sharjah Aquarium. If the group wants a different mix, book a car and chauffeur by the hour and choose your own stops.

Already done Dubai? The Dubai city tour covers the Creek, the souks and the coast on the other side of the emirate border, and the two make a two-day pair.

Friday is different: museums open at 16:00

The Sharjah Museums Authority opens its museums from 8:00 to 20:00 on Saturday to Thursday. On Friday they open only from 16:00 to 20:00. A Friday tour is planned the other way round.

1. 13:30: pickup in Dubai.
2. 14:15: Al Noor Island, while the Butterfly House is open until 18:00.
3. 15:30: the Central Souq.
4. 16:00: the Museum of Islamic Civilization as its doors open.
5. 17:30: the Heart of Sharjah. The fort closes at 20:00, and the district itself stays open until 22:00.
6. About 20:30: back in Dubai.

In Ramadan the museums open in two shorter blocks, and they close on the first day of each Eid. Give us your date and the plan follows that day’s hours.

Museum tickets and what they cover

The Sharjah Museums Authority sells tickets through its online e-shop. The amounts below are its published adult and child prices.

Ticket	Adult (13+)	Child (2 to 12)	What it covers
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization	AED 10	AED 5	The museum’s galleries of Islamic faith, science and art
Heritage joint ticket	AED 20	AED 10	Sharjah Fort, Bait Al Naboodah, the Heritage Museum, the Calligraphy Museum and Al Qasimia School
Aquarium joint ticket	AED 25	AED 15	Sharjah Aquarium and the Sharjah Maritime Museum next door

Children under 2 enter free. So do seniors aged 60 and over and people with disabilities, each with one companion.

The Heart of Sharjah on foot

The Heart of Sharjah is the restored old town behind the Corniche. Sharjah Fort, Al Hisn, stands at its centre. It was built in 1823 of coral stone, with three defensive towers, and served as the ruling family’s home and seat of government.

Bait Al Naboodah, the Heritage Museum and the Calligraphy Museum are a few minutes’ walk from the fort. Souq Al Shanasiyah, a restored market, runs between them. The heritage joint ticket covers the fort and those museums, so one ticket does the morning.

For commentary, the district runs its own Cultural Heritage Tour of about 1.5 to 2 hours, with museum entry included. It must be booked in advance with the Heart of Sharjah. Your chauffeur drives and waits, but is not a guide.

The souq, the mosque and the island on Khalid Lagoon

The Central Souq, often called the Blue Souq, sits between King Faisal Road and Khalid Lagoon. It has over 600 shops on two levels. Carpets and textiles are upstairs, and the lagoon-side row sells gold and jewellery. The building is pictured on the five-dirham note.

Al Noor Mosque stands on the Buhaira Corniche, with Ottoman-style domes and two minarets. It opens to non-Muslims for guided tours. Tour times are not published, so we plan photos outside and add a visit inside when one runs that day.

Al Noor Island sits across the water from the mosque. It has shaded garden walks, art pieces and a Butterfly House, open from 9:00 to 18:00. Entry is booked on the Shurooq booking site, Discover Shurooq.

From Dubai: roads and drive times

Most trips cross on Al Ittihad Road, through Al Nahda and Al Taawun to the Corniche. The figures are without traffic, to the Museum of Islamic Civilization.

From	Road distance	Without traffic
Deira (Al Rigga)	about 17 km	about 18 min
Downtown Dubai	about 26 km	about 28 min
Dubai International (DXB)	about 18 to 24 km	about 25 to 40 min
Dubai Marina	about 45 km	about 43 min

Weekday rush hours on Al Ittihad Road add time to every figure in the table, so the chauffeur checks traffic before fixing the pickup. Sharjah Mosque, opened in 2019, is 27 km inland from the Central Souq and can be added on the way back.

Starting from a Sharjah hotel or the airport

Assure is RTA licensed in Dubai. A tour that starts in Dubai runs in our own car with our own chauffeur, and the car waits for you in Sharjah all day.

A start at a Sharjah hotel, or straight off a flight at Sharjah International (SHJ), is on request through our partner network, subject to availability. SHJ is 15 km from the Museum of Islamic Civilization, about 16 minutes without traffic. The Sharjah Airport transfers page shows where the chauffeur meets you, and our chauffeur service in Sharjah covers trips that stay in the emirate.

Landing at Dubai International instead? Add a DXB arrivals pickup and start the tour with your bags in the boot.

Private car or a shared seat

The day above is planned for one group in one car, so a Friday start at 13:30 or an extra hour at the aquarium is your call. If you would rather share, ask for a seat on a shared Sharjah departure. We tell you whether one runs on your date, and where it collects from.

Age, health and dress

• Walking: the Heart of Sharjah and the souq add up to about 2 hours on foot. If anyone uses a wheelchair, tell us when you book, so the drop-offs are planned at each museum door.
• Dress: clothes covering shoulders and knees suit the museums, the souq and the mosque. Al Noor Mosque offers Emirati traditional dress at its entrance for a visit inside.
• Children: children under 4 must ride in a child seat in the UAE, and children aged 10 or under, or under 145 cm, may not sit in the front. Send each child’s age with your enquiry.
• Heat: from May to September, keep the outdoor walking for before 11:00 or after 17:00.

What sets the price

The Sharjah day is quoted per car, never per head, and the ticket prices above are paid on top at each site. These are the things that move the quote.

Factor	What changes it
The car	A Lexus ES 300h for up to 3, a GMC Yukon or Mercedes-Benz V-Class for 6, a 13-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for a group
Hours	About 5 hours for a half day, about 9 for a full day
Start and finish	A Dubai Marina pickup adds about 28 km each way compared with Deira
Day of the week	A Friday runs from 13:30 to about 20:30

How to book

1. Message +971 56 684 8148 on WhatsApp, or fill in the trip form here, with the date, half or full day, your Dubai pickup address and the group size.
2. If the date is a Friday or falls in Ramadan, say so, and the plan moves to that day’s museum hours.
3. Mention the Heart of Sharjah guided tour or a visit inside Al Noor Mosque if you want either. The reply lists the car, the stop times and the tickets you pay at the door.

The car that drives you to Sharjah is an Assure car, RTA licensed, from a Dubai team with 10+ years on these roads and a WhatsApp line open 24/7.

Places to visit in Sharjah lists the stops, and Dubai to Sharjah covers the road from Dubai.